Destro - Enemy Weapons Supplier

Some G.I. Joe fans point at Series VI (1987) as a turning point for the toy line moving away from the military background and into a more science fiction \ supernatural direction. Characters like Psyche-Out, Crystal Ball, and Raptor are common examples.

And yet, in Series II (1983) we got a guy with a steel plated head:

For Destro, all you really need is a bald guy with an open shirt, and Reaper Miniatures' Boris Barayev, Five Suns Smuggler (50002) really fits the bill.

I suppose I could have tried to green stuff on a little medallion for my version, but then maybe some things are better left undone.

Cheers!

-c

Cobra Commander - Enemy Leader

If you are going to put together an army of Cobras, you have to start at the top:

I thought I would have trouble finding a good miniature for CC himself, and possibly have to try my hand at sculpting a head with green stuff, until I found this not-Cobra-Commander named Kolonel Zanzibar from East Riding Miniatures.

The figure comes with 2 heads: One the eye patch guy shown, and the other a dead ringer for Cobra Commander himself.

Easy peasy!

-c

Storm Shadow - Ninja

You can't have Snake Eyes without Storm Shadow.

And not just any Storm Shadow, but Version 2 from 1988:

For this mini, I tracked down the Reaper Miniatures Ninja Bowman (04419).

(Sorry the picture is a little blurry, but I was trying to take a picture of a Ninja after all.)

Unfortunately, this mini is no longer for sale from Reaper, so you'll probably have to find it on ebay or elsewhere.

If you prefer the original Storm Shadow look, well, there are *tons* of Ninja minis out there for you to choose from.

Good hunting!

-c

Snake Eyes - Ninja Commando

If you're going to paint a bunch of minis based on G.I. Joe, where else do you start but with the most iconic personality in the line: Snake Eyes.

Picking a specific mini and\or costume could have been a challenge. After all, he did have about sixty different figures to choose from.

Thankfully, Reaper Miniatures made things a little easier with their totally-not-a-Joe figure Cobra, Modern Ninja (50082).

For my version of Snake Eyes I based it mostly of the Renegades version of his costume, as opposed to the all black original. The visor is a little different, and my ham-handed attempt at making knee pads with green stuff didn't work too well, but I think it came out OK.

Another possible option, if you want a slightly more dynamic pose, would be the Heroclix Black Tarantula figure:

Cheers!

-c

It All Starts Here

The Story So Far:

I've always been interested in gaming miniatures, but only recently started painting them for fun.

One day, browsing through the Reaper Miniatures site, I saw this little fella:

And saw the chance to combine my new hobby with my favorite childhood property: G.I. Joe.

The Plan:

My plan is simple: as I am building my army of Joes and Cobras, I will post finished pics as well as notes on what minis I am working from.

I don't plan to do every Joe \ Cobra known to man. There are too many and some I just don't like. This will just be my choice and, in some cases, my interpretation.

Also, I am not a professional painter. This is all just for fun!

Cheers!

-c